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Apple's Black Friday Sales Begin Launching Internationally with Gift Card Deals

Thursday November 28, 2013 7:26 am PST by Eric Slivka
Apple's online stores for several countries including Australia and New Zealand have launched their Black Friday one-day shopping events, also giving an idea of what promotions will be like as the event launches in a number of other countries over the coming hours.

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As rumored, Apple is offering offering gift cards with purchases rather than direct discounts on most items. While many customers would prefer discounts over free gift cards, others may appreciate that the gift card offers typically represent better deals than seen with discounts in past years.

Gift cards are available with the purchase of the following items (prices from Australian store):

- iPad Air: A$ 75 gift card
- iPad mini: A$ 50 gift card on non-Retina models, no gift card on Retina models
- iPad 2: A$ 50 gift card
- iPod touch: A$ 50 gift card
- iPod nano: A$ 25 gift card
- MacBook Air: A$ 150 gift card
- MacBook Pro: A$ 150 gift card for both Retina and non-Retina models
- iMac: A$ 150 gift card
- Apple TV: A$ 25 gift card
- AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule: A$ 50 gift card
- Various accessories: Gift card amounts vary

Gift card amounts for customers in the U.S. and other countries should be similar and cover the same products. Sales in Apple's U.S. store should begin at midnight Pacific Time.

Some third-party retailers such as MacMall may be offering even better deals than Apple, particularly when sales tax difference and discounts vs. gift cards are taken into account, and we've put together several overviews of deals for Macs and iPads. Additional deals are summarized in our Black Friday roundup.
[ 135 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

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j.moreno271
9 months ago
What?? No discount on the retina iPad mini?? Thats dumb.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Jeaz
9 months ago
So, if I buy say an iMac, I get a gift card I can't use right away, but rather have to spend at Apple at a second occasion?

Quite crappy offer if you ask me. Sure, it's a bit more value than before, but would rather have had to discount up front.
Rating: 6 Votes
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KPOM
9 months ago

What?? No discount on the retina iPad mini?? Thats dumb.


How so? They can't make them fast enough to sell right now.
Rating: 6 Votes
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BJMRamage
9 months ago
bah humbug.

now, Apple never did have Great Black Friday deals but these deals seriously SUCK!

I totally understand though, why discount when you can just have them buy more from you later. gets you coming back. I HATE these "deals"

oh well
Rating: 5 Votes
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bluush
9 months ago
weakest black friday offer ever. lame
Rating: 4 Votes
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danox574
9 months ago
i'm happy to use my gift card for Applecare after the original purchase. I was going to put it in the cart with an iMac but this is fine too.
Rating: 3 Votes
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Tribbs
9 months ago

when you make an average of what. 45%+ pure profit margin on your devices, and the BIGGEST sale you can muster up is a measly 5% discount....

you're greedy.


There are two sides to this supply/demand equation.
You obviously flunked Econ 101 and would likely go bankrupt if you became an entrepreneur.

Anyone want to buy a Surface?
Rating: 3 Votes
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FloatingBones
9 months ago

It's annoying when people support Apple's every decision.


This is the mother of all straw men in the MR forums. I have never ever met a single person in these discussions who supports every single decision that AAPL makes.

@xNYMetsx: can you please cite a single person who "support[s] Apple's every decision"?

If you can, please provide your evidence. How do you know this [hypothetical] person supports every single decision that AAPL makes?

If you can't, please explain to us why you make nonsense claims like that here. And please stop making this silly claim. Thanks.

when you make an average of what. 45%+ pure profit margin on your devices,


Your numbers are incorrect. AAPL's gross margins were 37% in the last quarter (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/10/28Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html) -- compared with 40% margins a year ago.

and the BIGGEST sale you can muster up is a measly 5% discount....


This number is also incorrect. The iPad Air sells for A$ 598 today (http://store.apple.com/au/buy-ipad/ipad-air). The A$ 75 gift card you receive amounts to a 12.5% discount of the retail price.

when you no longer even want to do a discount, but offer a gift card which obligates the buyer to continue shopping and spend more money at your location just to get a "deal"


It does not. You could either give or sell the gift card to someone else.

That's three factual errors in one message.

a $20 discount on that 500.


And that's four. :eek:

Did you actually read the offers that you are criticizing?
Rating: 3 Votes
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rockyroad55
9 months ago
I look at it like this: iPad Air, make a second purchase to get a case/AC.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Saturn1217
9 months ago

Will these gift cards be Apple Store gift cards or iTunes gift cards?


+1

I'd also like to know. I would at least be able to use an iTunes gift card. $75 at the apple store doesn't go very far...

This black Friday thing has been a huge fiasco for me. Tried to upgrade to a 32gb air for cheap so I returned my 16gb version. After a couple false starts I bought from staples but it is stuck processing and based on others experiences they may have sold more than they actually had in stock so who knows if I'll actually get it. I was hoping to have Apple as a backup in case that fell through but now that is a bust. Does anyone know if best buy is offering the $50 discount on the higher storage models? Sigh...
Rating: 2 Votes

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